Solly Hemus, Original Mets coach, 1923-2017

[G-Fafif]

Solly Hemus, the longest-surviving coach from the 1962 Mets, passed away Monday in Houston at age 94. He coached third base in the franchise's first year, and managed the Franchise, Tom Seaver, in his first professional year, for Jacksonville in 1966.

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/cardinal-beat/solly-hemus-last-cardinals-player-manager-dies-at/article_6da38995-39a7-5632-965c-2290e5e4ec5c.html

Edited October 4, 2017 by Guest

[Edgy MD]

I had Solly on my shortlist of interviews for the Mets manager, too. He last managed in the bigs in 1961. Fifty-six years waiting for a second chance!

[Frayed Knot]

'Silly' .... #@&*)$ auto-correct

[Edgy MD]

I was gonna fix it, but I figured FaFiF had his reasons.

[G-Fafif]

The '62 Mets were silly. But that was a mistake.

So sorry Solly.

[G-Fafif]

The last major league manager from the 1950s, too.

[MFS62]

I remember him as a player for the Cards and Phillies, too.
RIP, Solly.

Later

[Edgy MD]

“George Weiss, the General Manager, brought me on board to the Mets in 1962. Casey Stengel was one of the smartest managers in baseball and Weiss was an excellent GM, so I knew I couldn't lose.” — Solly Hemus

[G-Fafif]

Tom Seaver is the best pitching prospect the Mets have ever signed. Tom has a 35-year-old head on top of a 21-year-old arm. Usually we get a 35-year-old arm attached to a 21-year-old head. —Solly Hemus after Seaver's first Jacksonville start, 1966

[RealityChuck]

I remember him from a 1960 baseball card, before there were Mets. The little cartoon on the back made a big deal that the previous season he was a player-manager.



And that "knack for getting on base"? His lifetime OBA was .390.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Of the people in the UMDB who are dead at the present time, Solly Hemus lasted longer than all but one:

These are those who made it past their 90th birthdays:

Grant, M. Donald November 28, 1998 Hobe Sound, Fla. 94 years, 211 days
Hemus, Solomon Joseph (Solly) October 2, 2017 Houston, Tex. 94 years, 168 days
Cavarretta, Philip Joseph (Phil) December 17, 2010 Liliburn, Ga. 94 years, 151 days
Jarvis, Luella Jane Nossett (Jane) January 25, 2010 Englewood, N.J. 94 years, 86 days
Harder, Melvin LeRoy (Mel) October 20, 2002 Chardon, O. 93 years, 5 days
Kiner, Ralph McPherran (Ralph) February 6, 2014 Rancho Mirage, Cal. 91 years, 102 days
Holmes, Thomas Francis (Tommy) April 14, 2008 Boca Raton, Fla. 91 years, 16 days
Devine, Vaughan P. (Bing) January 27, 2007 St. Louis, Mo. 90 years, 332 days
Berra, Lawrence Peter (Yogi) September 22, 2015 West Caldwell, N.J. 90 years, 133 days